Saskatchewan in Sight: A Photographic Odyssey Illustrating the Seasonal Beauty of Saskatchewan

J.R. Miller, a professor of history, is Canada Research Chair at the
University of Saskatchewan. He is the author of Skyscrapers Hide in the
Heavens: A History of Indian-White Relations in Canada and co-editor of
the Canadian Historical Review.

For once the dust-jacket blurb gets it right: “Saskatchewan is a
province of subtle beauty. It reveals a world of contrasts and textures
to those willing to leave the highway and their assumptions behind.”
Saskatoon high-school art and photography teacher John Perret, a
lifelong resident of the wheat province, frequently got out of the
classroom and off the highway with his camera to record that “subtle
beauty” and “world of contrasts and textures” in this volume.
Organized according to the four seasons, Saskatchewan in Sight conveys
the variety and magnificence of the prairie landscape. Perret’s images
are enhanced by well-written captions, some of them highly personal. The
combination of visual and textual interpretations conveys to the reader
both the attractiveness of the landscape and the affectionate hold it
obtains on those who invest the time in getting to know it.

Saskatchewan in Sight is also well served by its publisher. Fifth
House, formerly based in Saskatoon but now one of the myriad of taxation
refugees who have established themselves in booming Calgary, invested
heavily in the work. The layout and color of the plates are of high
quality, adding to the charm and effectiveness of the volume. For
expatriate Saskatchewanians, Saskatchewan in Sight will be a welcome
touch of “home”; for others who have not yet made the province’s
acquaintance, Perret’s photo essay will be a superb introduction. The
119 images, lovingly photographed and interpreted, seasonally arranged,
and magnificently reproduced, are a visual slice of Saskatchewan at its
most stunning and attractive.